Southern Comfort

Kellie Pickler, a contestant from the fifth season of “American Idol” who has since made a name for herself as a country music touring and recording artist, gave area residents an evening to remember at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena. Every seat in the arena may not have been filled, but those who were there were hootin’, hollerin’, screamin’ and dancin’.

Pickler opened the show with “Bonnie And Clyde,” a tune from her newest album, “The Woman I Am.” She followed the tune up with “Tough,” which appeared on her third album, “100 Proof.” After finishing the song, she addressed the audience.

She informed her listeners that she recently released a new album, and was hoping she could test out the new material – the audience was more than willing. So, Pickler brought out another from “The Woman I Am,” called “I Got A Ring To Sell.” But, she soon brought it back to “100 Proof” and sang “Stop Cheatin On Me” for the ladies in the audience. She also told the ladies how impressed she was that they dealt with such cold temperatures. “More power to ya,” she said.

Keeping with the respect for women comments, Pickler couldn’t help but acknowledge how much this area has to be proud of because Jamestown is Lucille Ball’s hometown. She talked for a few minutes about how big a fan of Lucy she is, and how she’s dressed up as her for Halloween – there are photos on the Web. She then performed another new tune called “Closer To Nowhere.”

After the new song, she didn’t drop back to another classic, rather she decided to perform a tune that her husband, Kyle Jacobs, wrote for her entitled “(Ain’t) No Cure For Crazy.” She continued to perform a number of her hits, as well as more new tunes, to round out the evening.

According to Megan D’Angelo, of Jamestown, she brought out her 9-year-old daughter, Milana, and her friend Camryn Cederquist, 10, to enjoy the show.

“I love Kellie Pickler,” D’Angelo said. “I saw her on ‘American Idol,’ and she’s from Ablemarle so when I lived down south I was actually only about 40 minutes away. She has a great story, and has come a long way- I think she’s done a fantastic job. So, I wanted to bring the kids, who really like her songs.”

Milana and Camryn said they wanted to see Pickler perform because she’s fun, she’s pretty and is a really good singer. Their favorite songs are “Buzzin’,” “Little Bit Gypsy” and “No Cure For Crazy.”

Before Pickler took the stage, a band called “The Stickers,” which is a featured act in Nashville’s CMA Festival, opened the show. The band performed some of the new tunes from their unreleased album, as well as songs from their debut, self-titled CD.